Choke on Your Misery

Zack

"Are you sure you can find your classes on your own?" my mother asked, looking worried. I was in the counseling office of Dulaney High School on Monday morning, before school started. My mom was fussing about, making sure I had a map of the school and such. “You could call Rian and have him meet you here to show you around…”

"Mom, I'll be fine. I need to go find my classes before first bell," I sighed.

"Oh, alright. You know which bus to ride home, right?" my mom asked.

"Mom," I groaned.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving. Remember to talk to the counselor if you have any problems. Have a great first day, I love you," she said, kissing my cheek. I was glad there was no one around to see that.

"Thanks. Love you too," I said, and she walked out the door. I took a deep breath and walked out into the main hallway. The hall was full of teenagers, mostly hanging about and talking to their friends. I looked at my schedule.

First period: History
Second period: Art
Third period: Algebra
Lunch
Fourth period: Chemistry
Fifth period: English
Sixth period: French

History was first period; that was going to be hard to stay awake in. The room was 206, so I assumed it was on the second floor and headed upstairs. I looked at the room numbers as I walked down the hallways, not paying attention to the people around me. I ran into someone, and he cussed, shoving me away from him.

"Watch where you're going, freak," the boy snapped, his friends chuckling as they walked away. I bit my lip nervously, continuing to walk down the hallway. Ignore the teasing, Zack.

"Hey, Zack! I heard a voice exclaim, and someone clapped an arm around my shoulder. I smiled in relief to see that it was my friend, Rian. He’s been my friend since we were ten years old; we met on a soccer team outside of school. Even though we had gone to different schools, Rian was my only friend. He was the only person there for me through everything over the years. He was about an inch shorter than me and had brown hair down to his ears, but it was currently being covered by a backwards baseball cap.

"Hey Rian," I said. "Um, I don't know where the hell I'm going."

"I thought so; I've been looking for you for the last ten minutes. Pretty big school, huh?" Rian asked.

"Not too much bigger than Towson," I shrugged.

"Lemme see what classes you have," he said, and I handed my schedule to him. "Sweet! We have history, algebra, and chemistry together. Plus all the juniors have lunch together," he said.

"Good, I'll at least have you in those classes," I said, relieved.

"Yep, and I can show you where your other classes are too," Rian offered, walking with me to the History classroom. I got a book from the teacher and sat down in a seat next to Rian. The first bell rang, signaling that everyone had two minutes to get to class, and everyone started to pile into the classroom. I could already hear the whispers starting as people noticed me. This was one thing I was dreading about the new school - the social aspect. I’m not good at anything social; I never have been. Until I get to know someone, I’m painfully shy. I was dreading the questions and comments I would have to reply to. Rian, fortunately, knows how I feel about this. He had already promised to help me get through the questions I would be asked by everyone. I saw a familiar face come into the classroom, and realized it was my neighbor, Alex. He must have noticed me, because his face lit up and he walked over.

"Hi, Zack," he greeted. "I told you Rian was in my class."

Rian looked back and forth between us, clearly confused. "How do you know Gaskarth?" he asked me.

"Um, he's my neighbor," I mumbled, already retreating back into my shy manner.

"My parents and I went to meet them over the weekend," Alex explained, "He mentioned you and I told him that you were in some of my classes."

"I see..." Rian said, nodding. The bell rang, and Alex went to sit in his own seat, telling me he’d talk to me after class. The teacher had me stand up and introduced me to the class, causing me to flush with embarrassment as everyone looked at me. A few questions were asked, simple ones like where I moved from and how old I was. The teacher let me sit back down, and I slumped down in my chair. If every teacher was going to do this, I wouldn't make it past third period.

••••••••••

After History ended, Alex walked back up to me and Rian. "So, what classes do you have?" he asked me. I handed him my schedule, not wanting to recite them all. "Oh, cool. I have this class, art, and chemistry with you," Alex said, smiling and handing the schedule back.

"Cool," I echoed, picking up my books.

"I can walk you to class if you don't know where it is," he offered with a shrug as the three of us walked out of the classroom.

"Um...” I said, looking at Rian. I would prefer to walk with him, but I knew he had a class to get to.

Rian looked at me, "I can walk you to class if you want, bro. It’s no big deal. It won’t kill me to be tardy for a few classes,” he said softly.

“Um… no, it’s fine. I’ll walk with Alex,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll see you third period,” Rian said with a nod, walking away.

"You guys have a strange relationship," Alex commented as we walked down the hall. He realized how that had sounded, and added, “Not in a bad way. Sorry.”

I shook my head, "He's like my brother. I've been through… some... stuff... and, um..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I didn't feel comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. Especially when I wasn’t sure if he was the kind of person who would run off and tell the rest of the school.

“It’s okay; you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Uh, c’mon; art class is this way.”